Flight To Paradise
Flight To Paradise
Sequel to Special Delivery
©1999-2000
By Sarah
Chapter 18

    Brian looked up at his cousin as he flipped through the magazine he was holding.  The two were in the pool house, Kevin sitting in a chair next to the door and Brian was sitting on an old raft that was long since deflated
from a hole in the side.  He looked around the little place, studying the structure and hiding places for everything.  He looked at all the pool supplies, toys, and tools needed to keep the property in as good order as it was.
    "How much longer?"  Brian asked.  It was about the forth or fifth time he'd asked that, but what else was he going to do, he didn't have a watch on.
    "About forty-five minutes," Kevin answered, not even looking at his watch, simply turning another page.
    "How do you know that without looking at your watch?"
    "Because it's been about two minutes since you last asked me."
    "Oh," Brian said, looking down at his feet.  He sighed, thinking about what he and Sarah could be doing or talking about at that moment.  He closed his eyes, leaning back against a shelf, trying to imagine Sarah there with
him, letting her voice enter his head and float around, calming him substantially.
    "Yo, Bri, you awake?"  Kevin asked.
    Brian kept still, not responding, wondering what Kevin would do.
    "Brian?  Brian?"  Kevin asked again, raising his voice a little.  Brian didn't move, simply breathed deeply, keeping his eyes closed, hoping it looked like he was asleep.
    "Cuz, are you fooling me, cause if you are, I'll throw you in the pool," Kevin said, standing up.  Brian heard him walk over to him and fought against his own instincts and kept still.  He heard Kevin drop his magazine omewhere
and walk out of the pool house, closing the door behind him.
    Brian opened his eyes and looked around wildly.  He stood up and hurried to the door of the house, looking out the corner of the window and watching as Kevin walked in the main house and into the hall towards the bathroom.
Brian opened the door and closed it behind him quietly, creeping along the bushes to the house.
    'I feel like I'm in Mission: Impossible or I'm James Bond or something,' Brian thought, trying his best to stay out of the light coming from the house.  He made it to the side of the house and hid behind a bush just as he
heard the sliding patio door open.  He peeked around the side of the bush and watched as Kevin jogged back to the pool house and walk in.  He walked out moments later and looked around the backyard as he hurried back into the house.  Brian smiled as his cousin disappeared inside and walked along the side of the house, finally stopping when he got to the living room window.  He could see Sarah in there, sitting on the couch, hugging her knees up and staring at the ground.  AJ, Howie, and Nick were sitting in the room with her all chatting happily, but she was silent, almost sad.  Brian wanted to hold her, let her know she was there, and watched as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the back of the couch, unconsciencely playing with the gold ring he'd given to her six months ago.  He had intended it as a birthday present, seeing as he wouldn't be there for her real birthday.  On the day,
though, he sent her a dozen red and white roses, and he knew that she loved them, when he called her and sang happy birthday, she was in tears.  He smiled, remembering the day like it was yesterday.
    Brian snapped back to reality as Kevin hurried in the room and said something.  Nick ran out of the room, AJ close behind, and Howie moved closer to Sarah as she looked around the room, a slightly excited look on her face.  'He must've just told them I was gone,' Brian thought, creeping quietly along the side of the house, ducking below the window.  He walked around the front and reached for the front door handle, but stopped himself.
    'Wait a sec, that'll get me caught, I ought to go in through the garage,' he thought.  He backed down the porch and to the other side of the house, walking quietly to the garage door.  He opened it quietly, trying to not make
the handle squeak like it normally did, and heard footsteps.  He let go of the handle and slid down to the ground, hiding between two bushes.  He saw a flash of white and green go by, Nick's shirt.  Brian waited a few moments
until he stood back up and tried the door again.  He opened it without too much noise and closed it quietly behind him as he walked in.  He walked around Nick's black Prowler, his pride and joy car, though he rarely drove it, it was his favorite.  Brian carefully stepped over a fallen rake and climbed the wooden steps to the door connecting to the hallway of the house.  He pressed his ear to the door, listening for anyone's footsteps.  He didn't hear any and opened the door slowly, peeking out into the hallway.  He stepped out in the hallway and closed the door behind him, hurrying to the kitchen.  He spotted Jane sitting at the island counter, talking on the phone a mile a minute while Angel sat across from her, writing furiously in a notebook.  Brian walked quietly through the kitchen, shaking his head and holding his finger up to his lips when Angel saw him and opened her mouth to say something.  She nodded and pretended to lock her lips shut with a key, then turned back to her writing.  Brian practically sighed with relief and peeked into the next room, the dining room, which was connected to the living
room.  He walked across the room and stood by the entryway to the living room and spotted Howie still on the couch next to Sarah, he being the only other person in the room.  Brian smiled to himself and bit his lip.
    'This shouldn't be too hard, I mean, it is Howie,' Brian thought.  He watched Sarah for a few minutes, trying to send her a mental message to look up and see him.  She finally did and a smile immediately spread across her
face.  Brian held his finger up to his lips and shook his head, gesturing to Howie.  Sarah nodded slightly and looked at Howie.
    "What time is it?"  She asked.
    Howie sighed and looked at his watch.  "Eleven-twenty," he replied.
    Brian ran into the room and over to Howie, holding him down as Sarah covered his mouth.
    "You didn't see us, got it?"  Brian whispered.  Howie nodded and Brian smiled up at Sarah.
    "Let's go," he said.  He let go of Howie and grabbed Sarah's hand, leading her out of the room.  He led her upstairs and into one of the vacant guestrooms, closing the door behind them quietly and leading her to the
balcony and holding her as they looked at the stars above them.
 


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